Drying apparatus.



PATENTED JAN. 1, 1907.

. BARNEY. DRYING APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED APR.20, 1906.

JAMES E. BARNEY, 'Y or BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. a v

DRYING APPARATUS- To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES E. BARNEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bos,- ton, county of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an lmprovement in Dry- 1ng Apparatus, of which the following description, lI1 :CODl16Qtl0I1 with the accompanying drawings,', is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

The main object to be attained in drying apparatus is the removal of the maximum of moisture from the material to be dried in the minimum of time and in the most economical manner, while at the same time the texture or physical structure of the material to be dried must be preserved frominjury.

' In the ordinary dry-room operated by the aid of fans the temperature is uneven in practice, the lower part of the room being cold and the upper part ,hot, and this is noticeable even when the heat is supplied by steam pipes or coils laid along the floor, and uneven and imperfect drying results .inevitably The heated air rises and the moist heated air is found at the top of the drying room or chamber, and when the saturationpoint isreached (whatever the degree of temperature) the heated air has absolutely no value as a drying agent, and while its circulation may be continued no useful result is attained. In many instances it is ositively detrimental, as when drying fine fa rics and yarns of mixed colors. v I

My present invention has for its object the production of drying apparatus so constructed .and arranged that a substantially even temperature will be maintained in all parts of the drying-chamber, while at thesame time the moisturereleased from the material is,removed and the heat retained.

In the present embodiment I use two vol-- ume fans or wheels of unequal size and capacity, the larger onebeing located at one end. of the drying-chamber and rotated at;

such velocity that it acts as a plenum-fan, forcing the air with considerable pressure upon all surfaces within the chamber. The other and smaller fan is used as a positive -exhaust for the air in the' chamber, and, when the two fans are used in conjunction, as here inafter fully described, it will be apparent that'the plenum-fan forcibly impinges the air against all surfaces within thechamberin greater volume than can be removed by the exhaust-fan. The heated airis thus held within the chamber'until it has caused the re- Specification of Letters Patent. I Application filed April 20, 1906. Serial 110.312.768.

' Patented Jan. 1, 1907.

lease of moisture from the material to be dried, and the moisture-laden air is then conducted through a suitable exhaust-duct and removed from the chamber when it has 6c reached the limit of its value as a drying agent. i When any articleto be dried is first placed in the drying-chamber, such article is cold 3 and contains more or less moisture, according to its character, and obviously the temperature should be raised. to accelerate the expulsionof the moisture. At this point the value'of the two fans working in conjunction becomes evident, the smaller or exhaust fan 7 o backing off or neutralizing the normal pressure of the outer air and tending to form a partial vacuum at its intake side, such partial vacuum being at once filled by the pressure of the larger or plenuirr fan. By such arrangement I am able to effect a positive discharge of moisture-laden air to the at mosphere' under the most adverse circumsl unces.

11 order to control the direction of the aircurrent, I'have provided an adjustable de flector or trap in the air-duct at a point between the discharge side of the exhaust-fan and the outside air, as will appear more fully hereinafter.

The various novel features of my invention will appear hereinafter in the subjoined specification and will be particularly pointed out in the following claims.

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a drying apparatus embodying my invention, the top or roof being omitted. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section thereof on the line 2 2, Fig. 1,

both fans being shown in elevation.

Referring to the drawings, an elongated compartment A of suitable width and height is d1vided by an upright partition a'into a drying-chamber B and an air-chamber C, an opening a being made in the top'c of the airchamber adapted to be closed at times-by a deflector or trap 0 (See Fig. 2.) The com- 1055 partment D abovethe air-chamber has an exit or outlet (1 of such a size that it can be closed by the trap 0 when desired, the compartment D directly communicatin with the discharge side of an exhaust-fan E, located in to 5 an opening in the upper part of artition a. The air-chamber C has a largein et-openin 0", (see Fig. 2,) and a'force or lenum fan is located in' an opening in the iower part of partition a, the air-chamber forming the in- 1 10 ,take for said fan, which discharges directly into the drying-chamber B. The fans are chamber in front of the fan F to heat the air forced thereby into the chamber B. At the to drying-chamber only at. the end top of the latter chamber I provide an eX haust-duct E which communicates with the farthest from the fan. F, and referring to Fi 1 it will be seen that'the inlet of the said not is en-'- larged or flared at E portion extending to the side walls of ;the o the sides of the flared v 5 drying-chamber. Said" duct E leads directly to the exhaust-fan E, and the outlet compartment D is ractically a continuation of-theduct beyon said fan. It will be understood that the dryin -chamber B will in 29 practice he provided Wit a suitable door or do'ors'to introduce and remove the articles to be dried. The heating-coil H is located within a, casing It, so that the'air forced in by' the fan F rnu'st traverse the coils before passing along the dryingchamber, the latter hava small'pane oi glass b let into one ofits si e walls, as shown in Fig. 2. Referring to 1 it will be seen that the exhaust-duct is e H to raise enough to accommodate the fan-E and 0 that the outlet-chamber D of substantially the same width.

In operating, the apparatus the articles to be dried are placed in the chamber B, the

heat turned on to the heating-coils or heater the temperature-of the chamber, all doors or other entrances, thereto being closed The trap .0 is swung 'up to close the outlet (1, and by a similar door or trap c the air-inlet c. is closed, and the fans .13 and E are started, thereby causing a movement of the contained air through the loaded dryingchamber exhaust-duct E, compartment and air-chamber C, the opening 0' then being uncovered by the trap or deflector o The 4 5 air current or circulation thus set up is caused to pass several times through the heater H, the force or plenum fan F (having the greater capacity) forcing the warm air through the articles to be dried in larger volume than can be removed simultaneously by the smaller exhaust-fan E. This causes the warm air to impinge on all surfaces. within the dryingchamber B, resulting in release of moisture from the articles'therein to be taken up b the air, the latter bein withdrawn throug .the duct'E and passe through the heater again, the operation being continued until the dew-, oint or full saturation has beenreached. en this point has been attained,

6o the' glas's b will be clouded with va on I .thenmovethe trap c down to open t e outlet-d and close the opening 0' and open the trap or door 0 o ening the inlet 0 Into the air-chamber C. resh outside air is thus ad- 6 mitted and is forced by the tan F into the drying-chamber B, causing the saturated air therein to pass out through the exhaust-duct and through the compartmentD to the outside of the ap aratus, the moisture taken up from the artic es in chamber B thereby being eiiectually'removed and discharged. If it be desirable to again raise the temperature in the drying-chamber, the trapsc c are again returned to position to close the outlet (1 and inlet 0 respectively, and he inclosed air Will again be circulated and the temperature quickl raised. Bysetting the trap c at a oint etween the'openings c and d,-as in ig. 2, a portion'of the air will be discharged and the remainder caused to circulate.

When the articles are partly or nearly dry,

.the heating medium is shut oil, trap c is dropped to close the opening 0, and the inlet c? is opened, the heat retained in the dryin I chamber completing the drying o eration and leavin the articles cool and in t e same state as if ried in theopen air under the best of natural conditions. When the outlet (1 is open, the action of the exhaust-fan E neutralizes and overcomes the normal back pressure of the outsideair, so that under the most adverse atmospheric" conditionsthe removal of the moisture-laden air from the dryingchamber is not retarded or impeded. By flaring thevinlet end E of the exhaust-duct E, I secure a complete air circulation from all arts of the drying-chamber and oliviate the ormation of dead places, so that the drying action is substantially the chamber.

' The particular structure of the fans is not material to my invention so long as they will perform the required work but the force-tan uniform throiighout discharging into the drying-chamber must be of greater volumetric ca acity than the exhaust-fan, for the reasons ereiubefore set forth. Otherwise the drying operation will not be conducted properly or uniformly and greater. time will, be required to secure less efiicient drying.

degree without any burningor destruction of the structure thereof, as t e tem erature 18 never high enou h in the drying-c amber.

Having fully (l I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is I 1 In drying apparatus, a drying chamber, a heater therein to raise the temperature of the air, a force-fan to force air into the chamber, an exhaust-duct leading from the opposite end of the said chamber, an exhaust-tan in the duct, of less volumetric capacity than the force-fan, and means to direct the discharge from the exhaust-fan to the intake of the force-fan, to cause a circulation of heated n under pressure through the drying-chamer. 2.. In drying apparatus, an elongateddryl 1,16 I With apparatus of this character the niost delicate articles can be dried to the desired" ing-chamber, a heater therein, a force-fan in intake of the force-fan, the latter by reason.

of its greater capacity causing the air to forcibly impinge upon all obj (acts in the drying-chamber.

3. In drying apparatus, a drying-chamber, a heater therein at one end, a force-fan to force air through the heater into the chamber, an exhaust-duct leading from the opposite end of'the said chamber, an exhaust-fan in the duct, an air-chamber leadin to the intake of the force-fan, an adjustab e inlet for said chamber, an outlet-chamber into which the exhaust-fan discharges, said compartment having an exit-opening and an opening into the air-chamber, and a device. to close one. opening and open the other, and yice versa, whereby the exhaust can be discharged directly to the external air or diverted to the intake of, the force-fan.

4. In drying apparatus, an elongated drying-chamber, a heater therein at one end, a force-fan in said end of the chamber to force air through the heater into the chamber, an eXhaustuct at the top of the latter having an enlarged or flared inlet-o ening into the,

drying-chamber at the en opposite the force-fan, an exhaust-fan in the duct, ofless volumetric capacity than the -force-fan,

means to direct the discharge from the exhaust-fan to the outside airor to the intake of the force-fan, and means to control the supply of external air to said force-fan. i

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses. I

' JAMES E. BARNEY.

Witnesses: l

JOHN C. EDWARDS,

MARGARET A. FEENEY. 

